Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on Union Square by Derek Berg)... 

• In Memoriam: Charlie Carroll (Tuesday) ... Vinie Burrows (Wednesday) 

• Documenting the demolition of Middle Collegiate Church (Monday) 

• From the EVG archives: Asylum seekers at the former St. Brigid School (Sunday) 

• East Houston Street Wine & Liquor is headed to a new larger space across East Houston (Wednesday) 

• Wonder bringing its 'fast fine' delivery and food-hall concept to Stuyvesant Street (Thursday) 

• Classic East Village lunch counter B&H Dairy looking good with new awning, storefront and neon signage (Friday) 

• The J. Crew men's concept store on the Bowery has closed (Monday) 

• ICP teams up with the Nuyorican Poets Café for open mic series (Thursday) 

• G's Cheesesteaks will be the first retail tenant in 15 years at 6 Avenue B (Monday) 

• Sadie's Ward officially takes over from the Whiskey Ward (Tuesday) 

• High-end East Village sushi favorite Cagen has closed on 9th Street (Monday) 

• A look at Area 140 First on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

• Openings: Crazy Burger on Avenue C (Thursday) 

• The porta potties are MIA in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) ... New mats for the outdoor fitness area at Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday) 

• Reports: Kushner sells 6-building East Village portfolio for $57 million (Tuesday) 

• Trek officially closes on the Bowery (Monday)

• Mr. Kim quickly leaves St. Mark's Place (Tuesday) 

... and now turning to sports, Lazio secured a Coppa Italia semi-final place with a 1-0 victory over AS Roma on Wednesday... and the reaction outside by Giovanni and Co. outside Via Della Pace on Fourth Street (photo by Derek Berg)...

Follow EVG on Instagram or X for more frequent updates and pics.

On the CB3-SLA docket: Applicants for the former Mermaid Inn and Cheese Grille spaces

Photo of the former Mermaid Inn by Steven 

Here's a look at a few of the many applicants who will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this evening. (See below for info on watching online — or in person.) 

New Liquor License Applications 

 • Wonderland (Feichangchengong Inc), 96 2nd Ave. (op) 

Wonderland is the proposed restaurant offering an "Asian fusion menu" at the former Mermaid Inn space on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

The proprietors also operate Chili, a Sichuan restaurant on East 37th Street. You can find their CB3 questionnaire here, which includes a sample menu and proposed hours of operation (indoors, 4 p.m. to midnight daily). 

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village in 2003, with several outposts to follow... they closed here during the pandemic, only to reopen then close again in the fall of 2022 after just seven weeks. 

• Sunflower East Village (RJM Hospitality LLC), 88 2nd Ave (op) 

This is a holdover from last month... we previously noted that the NE corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street will be home to another location of Sunflower, a cafe serving breakfast-brunch on Third Avenue between 25th Street and 26th Street. 

The EV location looks to have the same menu/vibe, though with dinner service. Find the questionnaire here. 

Sunflower is owned and operated by the same folks as the previous tenant here, Eros, the Greek restaurant that quietly closed in August 2022 when a "temporarily closed" sign arrived on the front door. Eros took over for their diner concept, The Kitchen Sink, in September 2021.

• Idleflora LLC, 188 Allen St (op) 

Idleflora is the name of the proposed "plant-based tea shop and tapas bistro" at 188 Allen St. between Stanton and Houston. 

According to the questionnaire on the CB3 website, the space will also include a retail flower shop. The proprietors operate several East Village restaurants, including Shinn East and Thirteen Water on Seventh Street and Appas Pizza on First Avenue. 

This long, narrow storefront was previously home to Cheese Grille for nearly 10 years. 

• Made in Houston Inc, 205 Allen St (wb) 

The owners of C as in Charlie on Bleecker Street are behind this new restaurant serving Korean cuisine from the SW corner of Allen Street and Houston. You can find the questionnaire here, which includes a sample menu and other details. 

The arrival of the unnamed new restaurant means the end of Mi Salsa Kitchen, the Cuban eatery, at this location. (We contacted Mi Salsa for info about a possible relocation.)

Items not heard at Committee

• MT 121 St Marks LLC, 123 St Marks Pl (wb) 

This applicant will not be heard this evening — they've already received conditional approval for a beer-wine license based on their method of operation, hours (11 a.m. to midnight daily), etc. 

The owners of Chicago's Moody Tongue Brewing Company are behind this venture, a still unnamed Japanese restaurant that will serve a variety of sushi platters and entrees. You can find more details and a sample menu here. 

The team opened Moody Tongue Sushi on West 10th Street earlier this year. The Dining Room at Moody Tongue in Chicago boasts two Michelin stars. 

This space on St. Mark's Place just west of Avenue A last housed Pop's Eat-Rite, the veggie burger joint.

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Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.  

On the CB3-SLA docket: A new home for the Boiler Room; a pizzeria for Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy

Here's a look at a few applicants who will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this evening. (See below for info on watching online — or in person.) 

 • Lollo Ristorante, Pizzeria & Bar (Lollo LLC), 27 Ave B (op) 

We mentioned this pending arrival back in April.

A group of partners originally from Northern Italy are behind the new establishment, Lollo Italian Restaurant. (Lollo is short for Lorenzo, the chef and one of the partners.) 

They are taking over the former Solo Pizza space between Second Street and Third Street. Solo closed last September after 15 years in business courtesy of a rent hike.

Application here. (PDF)

• Cozy Cafe (Cozy Cafe Corp), 43 E 1st St (upgrade to op) 

The hookah bar is looking to upgrade its liquor license. Application here.

• The Boiler Room 45 (JBMT Tavern Corp), 45 2nd Ave (op) 

After a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments, the Boiler Room will leave its home of 34 years at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue later this year. 

Ownership has signed a lease for a space at 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street, previously home to the Moroccan specialty shop Timbuktu.

Read our post about the Boiler Room's upcoming closure at this link. Find their application here.

• San Marzano (Evir Corp), 117 2nd Ave (upgrade to op) 

The 11-year-old brunch-and-pasta spot on Seventh Street and Second Avenue wants to upgrade its liquor license. Application here. 

Items not heard at Committee 

 

• Dora's Restaurant (Galvan Restaurant LLC), 40 Ave B (wb) 

Dora's Restaurant received administrative approval to serve beer and wine with its "ceviche fusion cuisine."

Dora's daily hours will be 3-11 p.m., per its questionnaire. 

The restaurant takes over the space from El Carnaval, which CB3 accused of serving liquor without a license in the summer of 2021.

• Nine Cases (Nine Cases LLC), 86 E 3rd St (wb) 

Nine Cases is a new Mediterranean wine bar slated for this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (This small space was Uminoie, the Japanese restaurant that closed during the pandemic.)

Find the application, which includes a sample menu, at this link.

• Orpheum Theatre (Orpheum Live LLC), 126 2nd Ave (wb) 

One day you'll be able to have a beer or glass of wine before a show at the Orpheum (or maybe during intermission — if there is one).

• Sip and Co East Village (Proper Cafe Management LLC), 433 E 9th St (wb) 

Codetta is the name of a new coffee shop-cafe coming soon to this storefront between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The application describes the method of operation as a coffee shop by day offering cafe fare and a wine bar "serving small bites" in the evening.

The principal here is also behind Hard to Explain, the Japanese coffee shop-wine-beer-sake bar on 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The address was previously Westville Bakery... and Superiority Burger used the space afterward.

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Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link at this link.

This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park by Steven) ...

• Tuesday is the last day for East Village mainstay Ink on Avenue A (Sunday) 

• East Village staple New Double Dragon has closed (Tuesday)

• The Upright Citizens Brigade is returning to NYC — and the East Village — with a new theater (Monday) 

• The East Village Fine Wine & Champagne's sign has a new home (Wednesday)

• High Vibe looking for some help to continue spreading the love (Monday) 

 • Chrissy's Pizza announces itself on 9th Street (Thursday) 

• Angelina Jolie is creating a collaborative space for designers and artisans in Basquiat's former studio on Great Jones Street (Saturday)

• Openings: Rosemary Home on 9th Street (Friday) 

• After 20-plus years on 13th Street, Keybar is relocating to Bushwick (Thursday)

• Coming attractions: Cabin on 9th (Thursday) 

• When the lights flickered on Wednesday night (Thursday) 

• Mystery solved? Avenue A residents track down source of the incessant 'loud mechanical sound' (Wednesday) 

• Eros is still 'temporarily closed,' and now fully empty (Monday) 

• Full reveal: 699 E. 6th St. (Thursday)

 ... and the latest via Optimo at the Bowery Mural Wall... which has been on "pause" from officially sanctioned murals since May 2022...

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EVG Etc.: NYCHA residents demand repair reforms; The Drunken Canal announces last issue

Some recent headlines (with a photo yesterday on Avenue A at 14th Street via EVG reader Doug)... 

 • NYCHA residents from the East Village and Lower East Side call on the mayor and NYCHA officials to improve its repair process and how it maintains the city's aging government housing (ABC 7 ... amNY) 

• The state's cannabis regulatory board approved 36 of potentially 175 pot-selling licenses Monday — with at least 13 of them to be based in NYC (The City) 

• To honor World AIDS Day, the Anthology Film Archives in Second Avenue and Second Street will present two programs as part of Day With(out) Art (Details here) 

• NYC theater on a budget with some EV options (Gothamist)

• Danny Fields is giving Iggy Pop history lessons (Page Six)

• Actress Spencer Grammer recalls trying to break up a fight in August 2020 outside Black Ant on Second Avenue (People... previously on EVG) 

• Recently opened Broome Street gallery champions women artists of color (Artsy) 

• Anna Sorokin self-promotion tour continues from her East Village apartment (Variety) 

• NYC's best wine bars are on the LES says this article (Condé Nast Traveler) ... The Times has its own list, with some EV picks, right here.

• LES history as seen through Seward Park (The Bowery Boys) 

• Christo, Amelia and raptor season (Laura Goggin Photography) 

... and the editors of The Drunken Canal, conceived in the East Village, announced its final issue...

THE FINAL ISSUE IS HERE, and its none other than Lucky Number 13. In a gesture to thank you for all the love, support, submissions, hate, kisses, hugs, free drinks, we are giving our farewell issue to YOU. Starting tomorrow @ NOON, you have 48 hours to send us whatever you want❤️ pic.twitter.com/cShQtvyiSu

— the drunken canal (@thedrunkencanal) November 21, 2022

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Derek Berg) ... 

• The next iteration of the Knitting Factory coming to the East Village (Wednesday) 

• A liquidation sale at La Sirena on 3rd Street (Thursday) 

• A 'retail opportunity' at the former Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Delicore: The line to see Diplo at Katz's After Dark Sunday night (Monday) 

• Here's the first look at the new residential building coming to 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street (Monday)

• Keyapalooza! Key Food is hosting a 6-day 'RE-GRAND Opening' next month (Friday) 

• Asbestos abatement to begin at the former East River Park amphitheater — 9 months after it was demolished (Monday) 

• The Li'l Park Drag Show takes the stage at La Plaza Cultural (Tuesday) 

• A retail wine and spirits store is in the works for the former Black & White space on 10th Street (Wednesday) 

• City removes several abandoned curbside dining structures in the East Village (Tuesday) 

• Reports: Dan Goldman is the Democratic nominee for the 10th Congressional District (Wednesday)

• Lucky No. 77: Victory Tattoo NYC opens in the former Hells Angels HQ on 3rd Street (Thursday) 

• Here's more about Rabbit and the Fragile Flour, opening next month on 7th Street (Wednesday)

• Wegmans is hiring on Astor Place (Monday) 

• The ever-changing East Village skyline's newest addition is a 32-foot-tall Link5G tower (Friday) 

• Dunkin' to make triumphant return to 250 E. Houston St. (Monday) 

• Signage alert: Pizza Loves Sauce coming to East Houston (Thursday)

• At the Nuyorican Poets Café's annual block party (Sunday)

• Signs of dinner life at Prune (Tuesday) 

• First sign of the new gallery opening in September at 313 Bowery (Monday)

• People keep stealing catalytic converters (Friday) 

• Thoughts on a new tenant for a former laundromat (Tuesday) 

• Report: Trader Joe's closed the Union Square wine shop after learning of plans to unionize (Monday) 

• Senses working overtime: The former Taj Mahal is now home to a psychic on 6th Street (Thursday)

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A visit to Via Della Scrofa

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

The warmth of the small but well-stocked alimentari fogs up my glasses, and I can still faintly smell delicious espresso and chocolate-y scents even behind my face-covering mask as I enter Via Della Scrofa at 60 E. Fourth St. 

Co-owner Giovanni Bartocci is there to greet me and show me around the recently opened shop between Second Avenue and the Bowery as locals drop by for sandwiches and morning coffee.  

On this winter morning, the usually gregarious Bartocci is stressed about a recent immigration decision that’s forcing him to temporarily leave the country for his native Italy. Regardless, he still manages a smile and presses some individually wrapped cookies into everyone’s hands before they exit the store.

I wait until there’s a break in the foot traffic to talk with Bartocci about the store, the neighborhood and his somewhat uncertain plans for the future. (We’ll have more on his status in part two of our coverage tomorrow, in which we discuss Via Della Pace, his 17-year-old restaurant on Seventh Street and Second Avenue that was destroyed by a fire in 2020. Via Della Pace is set to reopen on Fourth Street this year.)

How did Via Della Scrofa come to be? 

My business partner Marco Ventura and I always wanted to open a little Bottega — a little shop. You can find one in every town in Italy where you go to buy just some guanciale, and you get out with a bag full of different things and go back in because you bought biscotti, pasta, candy, olive oil…but you forgot the guanciale [laughs]!

Plus, we couldn’t go back because of the pandemic, so we tried to recreate a little piece of Italy here. The name Via Della Scrofa came almost naturally for many reasons. We own Via Della Pace, the restaurant. And in Rome, the two streets are very close, like we will be when we can reopen the restaurant. 

On Via Della Scrofa in Rome, there is the famous restaurant Alfredo Alla Scrofa from Alfredo of the Alfredo sauce fame. And last, the “scrofa” is the sow…and if you walk in [to the shop], you want to eat everything.

What do you recommend for first-time shoppers at the store? What are the best-selling items?

I recommend not being shy and asking for suggestions from Marco or me. We will guide you and explain what we sell —we want you to experience our traditions in the best way possible! 

The best-selling item for sure is the Chinotto Neri — so good we went out of stock in less than 40 days, but it will be back by the end of January. Also, porchetta and guanciale cioli, Galatine Milk Candy — a lot of things!

Why is it important for you to have your businesses in the East Village?

We love the East Village! We have always been here; this is our neighborhood. It is like a home away from home! We always try to be here for the people of the East Village. We stayed open during the Sandy blackout, giving away food and we did the same for the people living in the buildings of the explosion in the opposite corner [of Via Della Pace in 2015]. People needed just to show us something to prove they were living there, and we were offering spaghetti al Pomodoro and a glass of wine anytime they wanted.

What’s next for the shop? Any future plans?

Now we just want to open the restaurant — we are focusing on that. After that, we don’t know. We are happy as long as people walk out of our locations with a smile. 

And if we will make a lot of people smile, then we will consider new adventures. 

You can keep tabs on the shop here. They are open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

And stay tuned for part two of our coverage tomorrow, where we talk about Via Della Pace’s reopening and the complex immigration issues that are forcing Bartocci to temporarily leave the country.

Sushi by M debuts in new space on 2nd Avenue

Sushi By M, which offered an omakase experience from a compact space on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery, has moved into a larger space nearby.

Chef Tim is now operating from 300 E. Fifth St. on the southeast corner at Second Avenue. (He applied for a beer-wine license here back in April.)

The new location serves lunch from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. You can visit their website for menus, reservations, etc.

Sushi by M first opened in December 2018.

As for 300 E. Fifth St., the last tenant was Spiritea, a fruit-and-milk tea shop, which debuted here in May 2019 and never reopened during the pandemic. The storefront had been vacant since 100% Healthy Blend (or maybe just Healthy Blend) closed after three months in November 2016. More memorable previous tenants include Dahlia's and Mary Ann's.

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included... (with a heatwave pic on Avenue A by Derek Berg)... 

• East Village Loves NYC issues a fundraising appeal to help continue feeding New Yorkers in need (Wednesday) 

• Remembering Penny Rand (Friday) 

• Portraits from the Park Prom (Wednesday) 

• Unofficial-looking signs now note a 10 p.m. curfew in Tompkins Square Park (Saturday) 

• Hot in the city: Pinc Louds bring the (pre) summertime fun to La Plaza Cultural (Monday) 

• Avenue C stalwart A & C Kitchen is back open (Thursday) 

• A Saturday walk through the East Village (Monday) 

• Openings: Cafe Sandra on First Avenue (Tuesday) 

• Openings: 7th Street Burger on 7th Street (Monday) 

• The Astor Place Greenmarket returns (Tuesday) 

• Happy Record Store Day (and Always Support Your Local Record Store Day) (Saturday) 

• The return of Stomp (Monday)

• New deli to be the toast of 9th Street? (Monday) 

• All along 1st Avenue with Neil Goldberg (Thursday) 

• New music now (1980-1986 edition) at the Museum of the City of New York (Friday)

• 8 a.m. old-timer Milano's returns to service on East Houston (Thursday)

• The Brindle Room is on the hunt for a new home (Wednesday) 

 

• Openings: Marinara Pizza debuts on 2nd Avenue (Tuesday)

• 787 Coffee makes it official at 159 2nd Ave. (Monday) 

• Here's the Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar signage on 2nd Avenue and 11th Street (Wednesday) 

• Mocha Red promises a 'Tulum Meets Wynwood Experience' on 4th Avenue (Monday) 

• First sign of Yoshino New York on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Lucky Star is a 1950s-style ice cream shop opening 3 downtown locations this summer (Tuesday) 

 ... and thanks to EVG reader Eliah ... who captured this (partial) rainbow shot after Tuesday's storm...

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Openings: Soda Club on Avenue B; Jolene on Great Jones Street

Soda Club, the latest vegan concept from Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality, is now open at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (First reported here.) 

The restaurant is serving plant-based Italian cuisine and a large selection of natural and organic wines. You can check out the menu here. 

Soda Club is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight. For now, they're only taking walk-ins. 

The previous tenant at No. 155, Donostia, the wine-and-tapas bar, closed in November 2018 after five years in business.

This is the third new East Village from DeRossi this year... joining Cadence on Seventh Street and Etérea on Fifth Street.

Photo by @ericmedsker via @sodaclubnyc

At 54 Great Jones St., restaurateur Gabriel Stulman has changed up concepts for The Jones, his all-day cafe that opened in August 2019 just west of the Bowery.

Starting today, the space is Jolene, which takes its name from Dolly Parton's song.

Here's more:

Inspired by the utterly charming Cafe de Flore in Paris...  Stulman has transformed The Jones into a new classic American bistro, cafe, and bar with partner and executive chef James McDuffee ... That means an extensive wine list, clutch cappuccinos, snackable bites like a "Della" tea sandwich, and satisfying mains like chopped steak frites.

Will update with the hours later. No website at the moment, but there's always Instagram.

Before The Jones, No. 54 was home to the Great Jones Cafe, which never reopened after Jim Moffett, the longtime owner, died in July 2018 at age 59. The Cafe, a popular yet low-key spot, first arrived in 1983.

Meanwhile, the bust of Elvis remains from the days of the Great Jones Cafe...    

On the CB3-SLA docket tonight: applicants for the former Brazen Fox and Loverboy spaces

Tonight is the second of the two CB3 SLA committee meetings for April. 

Here's a look at a few of the items on the agenda:

• Entity to be Formed by Curt Heugel, 106 3rd Ave (op) 

Hospitality veteran Curt Heugel's Host Restaurants, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, is behind a new unnamed venture for 106 Third Ave. at 13th Street.

The questionnaire for the space shows proposed hours starting at 10 a.m. with a 4 a.m. close (the outdoor cafe portion would have an 11 p.m. curfew).

Heugel and his partners also operate Jackdaw on Second Avenue at 13th Street. 

This two-level corner space was home to the Brazen Fox, which closed during the pandemic. 

 • Entity to be Formed by Michael Perry, 127 Ave C (op)

A new venture called Two Perry's is in the works for 127 Avenue C at Eighth Street.

The space would be a cafe offering breakfast and lunch during the day with a bar-restaurant service in the evenings. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, the proposed hours are 7 a.m. to midnight, with a 2 a.m. close Thursday through Saturday.

Loverboy, specializing in pizza and slushy drinks, closed here during the pandemic after nearly three-plus in business.  Before Loverboy, the corner space was home to multiple establishments, a list that includes Lumé, the "Epicurean drinkery," ... Life — Kitchen and Bar … which had taken over for Verso. Other restaurants here in the past nine years include Caffe Pepe Rosso and Caffe Cotto. 

Items not heard at Committee 

• Sushi by M (Sushibym2 LLC), 300 E 5th St (wb) 

Sushi By M, which currently offers an omakase experience from a compact space on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery, is moving to a more high-profile spot on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street (last occupied by Spiritea, and pictured above).

This larger space for Chef Tim would include six tables (seating 12 patrons) and a sushi counter for 16 guests. The daily hours are listed as noon to 11:30 p.m.

• Woman in Wine LLC, 413 E 12th St (wb)

Alessandro Trezza, whose establishments include Have & Meyer in Williamsburg, is opening a small plates/dessert and wine bar at 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The questionnaire shows daily hours of 4 p.m. to midnight. The document includes a sample menu.

This mid-block space was previously Zadie's Oyster Room.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30. You can find the Zoom info here. 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Derek Berg from Friday on Sixth Street)...

• Donations for Ryo, who returned home after a months-long hospitalization to find an empty apartment with new locks (Thursday)

• A walk around inside the long-abandoned — and ghoulishly beautiful — P.S. 64 (Thursday) 

• Hate crime arrest made in assault of Asian woman on Astor Place (Tuesday) 

• A visit to First Avenue Laundry Center (Tuesday) 

• The shirtwaist dress on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

• On the runway along Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• More scaffolding — and now demolition — for this troubled Avenue C corner (Friday) 

• Van Da to treat NYC's 'Warrior Women' to dinner on its 1st night back (Friday) 

• This week's NY See finds a lovingly cradled bottle of wine (Thursday) 

• Gallery Watch heads to Canada (Wednesday) 

• Report: Hate crime investigation on Allen Street as 66-year-old Asian man assaulted (Sunday) 

• Bagel Boss to preside in storefronts on 14th Street, East Houston (Monday) 

• There's now a sidewalk bridge outside Cafe Himalaya (Tuesday) 

• The disappearing pay phones along Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• 2 break-ins on 7th Street (Friday) 

• This new map will immerse you in the neighborhood's Greek Revival style (Friday) 

• Planet Taco now orbiting 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• With lease up, Squish Marshmallows will look for a new home (Monday) 

... and someone decided to toss a rock through an Avenue A-side window at Union Market last night ...

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Casse-Cou Chocolate bringing vegan treats to 4th Street

There's a new era for chocolate at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery... Sebastian Brecht's OCD Chocolate Shop has been revamped... as he teamed up with plant-based celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to launch Casse-Cou Chocolate, a vegan chocolate store and online marketplace.

Per VegNews, who first reported on this transition: 

The brand will offer a variety of artisanal confections made with free-trade chocolate, including pralines, ganaches, truffles, and chocolate bars. Kenney developed the concept in partnership with Chef Sebastian Brecht with the mission of elevating confections to the level of fine wine and cuisine without hurting animals. 

The offerings at Casse-Cou will include bars and bonbons in flavor combinations such as Pistachio, Saffron, and Caramel; Maca and Goji; Pedro Ximenez (a type of wine grape) and Salted Largueta Almond; and Black Currant and Yogurt. 

The shop is expected to open today (and in time for Valentine's Day). 

This is the latest East Village-based concept for Kenney, whose nearby vegan restaurants include Plant Food + Wine and Sestina.

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo from Union Square by Derek Berg) ...

• A 21-story office building planned for the former B Bar & Grill on the Bowery (Friday) 

 • Cafe Himalaya reopens, thanks community for support after family member dies from COVID-19 (Wednesday) 

• RIP Hanshi Wilfredo Roldan (Thursday)

• Concern again for the historic Merchant's House Museum on 4th Street (Wednesday) 

• A new era for Via Della Pace on 4th Street (Monday) 

•  The gas is back on at Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A (Monday) 

• This week's NY See panel (Wedensday) 

• Gallery Watch goes to the Home Alone Group Show at ATM Gallery (Wednesday) 

• [plant-baked] debuts on 7th Street (Friday) 

• A bar called Spike's is coming to 218 Avenue A (Wedensday) 

• 5 Napkin Burger Express gives way to Tamam Falafel on 14th Street (Friday) 

• Hope for Little Poland in 2021? (Tuesday) 

• Citing "restrictions, bans and curfews for the restaurant industry," the Dumpling Shop closes (Monday)

• Bibi Wine Bar takes a winter break (Tuesday)

• Gino Sorbillo now closed for renovations on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

•  2021 development watch: 124 E. 14th St. (Tuesday) 

• Van Leeuwen reopens post-fire on 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• Tio Pio debuts on 14th Street with quick-serve Latin cuisine (Tuesday)

• Local artists give kids something to smile about at new dental outpost on Avenue A (Tuesday) 

• The Boilery has closed on 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

• Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse has closed for now on the Lower East Side (Sunday)

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A list of East Village crowdfunding campaigns

In recent weeks, many East Village merchants — or their patrons — have established GoFundMe pages to help them stay in business or compensate employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

What follows is an alphabetical list of the crowdfunding campaigns that we've received. Let us know in either the comments or via email of other East Village businesses who are crowdsourcing right now...

• Ace Bar

• Amor Y Amargo; Honeybee's and Mother of Pearl

• Anyway Cafe

• Avant Garden

• B&H Dairy Cafe

• Barcade St. Mark's

• Beauty Bar

• Bibi Wine Bar

• Big Bar

• Bite

• Black & White

• Boilermaker

• Bowery Ballroom/Mercury Lounge

• Brindle Room

• Butter Lane Cupcakes

• C&B Cafe

• Cafe Mogador

• Cooper Still

• dba

• Dlala Salon

• Death & Co.

• Double Down Saloon

• Dream Baby Dream

• Factory Tamal

• Gem Spa

• Gnocco

• Gray Mare

• Holiday Cocktail Lounge

• The Izakaya NYC

• Jane's Exchange

• Jeepney

• Josie’s, Mona's and Sophie’s

• KGB Bar

• Kafana

• Khiladi (The Indian restaurant on 11th and B is collecting money to deliver meals to hospital workers.)

• La Sirena Mexican folk art

• Lavagna

• The Library

• Limited to One Records (via Patreon)

• Lucien

• Lucky

• Maiden Lane

• Mary O's

• Mimi Cheng's (specifically for their Dumpling for Doctors plan)

• Mochii

• Niagara, Lovers Of Today, Tompkins Square bar, Cabin Down Below

• Nomad

• Nowhere Bar

• Nublu

• Otto's Shrunken Head

• Pangea

• Paradise Hospitality (the parent company of East Village bars Boulton & Watt, Drexler's, Mister Paradise, Paper Daisy)

• Parkside Lounge

• The Phoenix

• Pink Olive

• Pinks

• Planet Rose

• Porsena

• Raclette

• The Roost

• 787 Coffee

• The Roost

• Sake Bar Satsko

• Scratcher

• Shampoo

• Sing Sing Avenue A

• SOMA Cakes (for hospital workers)

• Spiegel

• Standings

• Superiority Burger

• Swift Hibernian Lounge

• 2A/Treehouse ... as well as Berlin Under A

• Takahachi

• Think Coffee

• Third Rail Coffee

• Three Jewels

• TIC Restaurant Group (includes Sobaya, Rai Rai Ken, Hi-Collar, Sakagura, Decibel, Curry-Ya, Otafuku, Shabu Tatsu, Hasaki, and Cha An)

• Tile Bar (along with Magician)

• Tompkins Square Bagels (All donations to this fund will be used to support the hospitals, first responders and homeless shelters in New York.)

• Tuome

• Turntable Lab

• Village Square Pizza

• The Wayland (plus Goodnight Sonny, The Wild Son and Lost Lady)